Then he said to all, “Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!" Luke 9:23
What we need today is more leaders! Right? Wrong, says Joe Stowell! And who is this negative voice? He served for 18 years as president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, one of our day's leading Christian colleges with more than a century of history.
Dr. Stowell says that he feels a bit awkward in contending that our greatest need is not for leaders because everyone sends their offspring to colleges and universities expecting them to emerge as tomorrow's leaders. Stowell is convinced that God designed us in such a way that our supreme need is to follow Jesus Christ.
In his book Following Christ he wrote, "That following is what we were originally designed for is almost self-evident in the fact that every one can follow but very few have either the talent or the opportunity to lead." (Following Christ, Zondervan, 1996, p. 36.)
Coining a word for what he believes we need, Stowell calls it followership, the habit of learning to follow implicitly Him who challenged the disciples, saying, "Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!" (Luke 9:23).
Long ago, scientists discovered that when a mother duck fails to teach her young to follow her in the first two days after the eggs are hatched, the duckling will follow a block of wood pulled by a string as a substitute for the mother who is not there. Furthermore, contends a medical doctor who cites the discovery, over a period of time there is emotional attachment to the block of wood. (S. I. McMillen, "How are we Imprinting," Christian Life, Feb. 1996, p. 30).
In dealing with the issue of what he calls followership, Joe Stowell meets head-on the greatest flaw of Christianity today. Scores and scores of men and women, fearful of losing control over their lives and destinies, name the name of Christ and attend church without making a commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
Making this personal, do you ever struggle with the issue of commitment to what Jesus asked, thinking that if you sign on the dotted line and follow Him, you will be thought of as a fanatic, you will be mocked as a person who is out of touch with the world, that you will be deprived of your independence?
Jesus Christ called us to a relationship wherein He is at the center of our very existence, and it is our hesitance to yield at this point that produces a dichotomy of faith and practice. We know better than we do, so we often make token commitments to what we think God wants, hoping that in the end the scales will weigh in our favor.
A generation ago Frank Sinatra crooned, "I Did It My Way," and he has had lots of company because we still prefer to do it our way. That's the way we are born, and many never go beyond that to understand that God's purpose and will is better than ours because He knows the end from the beginning.
A closing thought. Your concern as to where following Christ may take you is overcome when you realize that following is a day by day, step by step walk. When you follow Him, you will get to know Him, and when you really know Him--not the image you may have grown up with--you will love Him, and when you love Him, you will obey Him.
Joe Stowell is right. What we need today is not leaders but followers, and only then will we be fully committed to Jesus Christ.
Resource reading: Luke 9:57-62
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/discover-why-we-need-to-be-followers/
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Monday, August 10, 2020
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Bill reapportioning Bulacan to 6 legislative districts OK’d on second reading
The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a bill reapportioning the province of Bulacan from the current four, to six legislative districts.
House Bill 6867 exempts San Jose del Monte City in the proposed re-apportionment.
The city will remain a single congressional district as represented in the Lower House by Rep. Rida Robes, chairperson of the House Committee on Public Participation.
All five lawmakers representing the various areas of Bulacan signed the bill as co-authors.
They are Reps. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado; Gavini Pancho; Lorna Silverio; Henry Villarica and Robes.
Under the bill, which is expected to be approved on third and final reading within the month, the legislative districts of Bulacan will be as follows:
Bulacan solons said the proposed reapportionment of the province complies with the constitutional requirements for the creation of new legislative districts, including the population requirement of 250,000.
“The bill aims to address the lack of representation of the province of Bulacan in Congress given the population increase since the Constitution’s inception in 1987,” the lawmakers explained.
https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/07/bill-reapportioning-bulacan-to-6-legislative-districts-okd-on-second-reading/
House Bill 6867 exempts San Jose del Monte City in the proposed re-apportionment.
The city will remain a single congressional district as represented in the Lower House by Rep. Rida Robes, chairperson of the House Committee on Public Participation.
All five lawmakers representing the various areas of Bulacan signed the bill as co-authors.
They are Reps. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado; Gavini Pancho; Lorna Silverio; Henry Villarica and Robes.
Under the bill, which is expected to be approved on third and final reading within the month, the legislative districts of Bulacan will be as follows:
- First District ( Population: 465,746) – Calumpit, Hagonoy, Paombong, Pulilan and Bulakan;
- Second District (Population: 707,207) – Balagtas, Baliuag, Bocaue, Bustos, Guiguinto, Pandi and Plaridel
- Third District (Population: 434,908) – Angat, Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Ildefonso, San Miguel and San Rafael
- Fourth District (Population: 490,245) – Obando, Marilao and City of Meycauayan
- Fifth District (Population: 367,802) – Norzagaray and Santa Maria
Bulacan solons said the proposed reapportionment of the province complies with the constitutional requirements for the creation of new legislative districts, including the population requirement of 250,000.
“The bill aims to address the lack of representation of the province of Bulacan in Congress given the population increase since the Constitution’s inception in 1987,” the lawmakers explained.
https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/07/bill-reapportioning-bulacan-to-6-legislative-districts-okd-on-second-reading/
Move From Ignorance Into Truth
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:17
Ignorance is a wonderful thing! What you don't know doesn't worry you, though it probably should. You couldn't be out of money since you still have checks in your checkbook, right? The lump that you have on your neck can’t hurt you as long as you ignore it or can it? It's not only your bank account or your health which is an issue; it's your spiritual life as well. Strange, is it not, how we prefer to ignore issues rather than confront them.
I often think of the instruction manual for a small single-engine aircraft which said something like this: If you are flying at night and you lose power, try to restart the engine. If that fails, when you reach an altitude of 200 meters, turn on your landing lights. If you don't like what you see, then turn them off again.
The sad fact is that a lot of people have turned off their landing lights when it comes to very important things. Some do it in a high school or college classroom. Some do it simply because they don't like what the Bible says--too confining, too limiting, too--well, puritanical. They like what they are doing and don't want to change, so they just "turn out the lights."
When ignorance is demolished by truth, it can be alarming, perhaps devastating. Knowing that the lump on your neck is cancer may shake you up—but save your life. Of course, no one likes thinking of the surgeon's knife, or chemotherapy or radiation, yet losing your hair or your appetite is highly preferred to losing your life.
Going back to the issue of truth and God, how do you know what is truth or prejudice? How can you be sure? Do you take someone else's word for it or can you know for yourself? When Paul did a speaking tour of Greece, he came to a place identified today as Berea, and there he went into the synagogue and proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who lived, died and rose again.
And the Bereans quickly accepted what Paul said, right? Not exactly. Dr. Luke says that they received the message with great eagerness but examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was truth.
They had settled the issue, however, as to what is truth. They were fully persuaded that the Scriptures were true and that God had revealed Himself through them. Question: Do you have that assurance? You may answer, "Yes! No problem," but chances are, you are not quite sure. If so, this is just for you.
Many intelligent individuals today have never gone much beyond the cover of this grand book we call the Bible. They turned the lights off a long time ago, and ceased to think for themselves, accepting the mindset of teachers or professors, our culture, and our society. How do I know the Bible is true? There are rational answers which dispel any doubt that you may have ever had including the abundance of manuscript evidence that says the writings of Scripture have been preserved over the years, the unintended but powerful testimony of archaeology, the element of the supernatural which includes amazing prophesies given hundreds of years before their historical fulfillment, to say nothing of the personal connection with God which comes by testing the promises of this book, the Bible.
Ignorance is not comforting and faith is not blind. Turning on the lights may require some thinking, some investigation, asking some hard questions about your personal life and being willing to accept the truth which God will reveal to you. But through His Son, God gave a promise. Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Resource reading: John 8:31-47
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/move-from-ignorance-into-truth/
Ignorance is a wonderful thing! What you don't know doesn't worry you, though it probably should. You couldn't be out of money since you still have checks in your checkbook, right? The lump that you have on your neck can’t hurt you as long as you ignore it or can it? It's not only your bank account or your health which is an issue; it's your spiritual life as well. Strange, is it not, how we prefer to ignore issues rather than confront them.
I often think of the instruction manual for a small single-engine aircraft which said something like this: If you are flying at night and you lose power, try to restart the engine. If that fails, when you reach an altitude of 200 meters, turn on your landing lights. If you don't like what you see, then turn them off again.
The sad fact is that a lot of people have turned off their landing lights when it comes to very important things. Some do it in a high school or college classroom. Some do it simply because they don't like what the Bible says--too confining, too limiting, too--well, puritanical. They like what they are doing and don't want to change, so they just "turn out the lights."
When ignorance is demolished by truth, it can be alarming, perhaps devastating. Knowing that the lump on your neck is cancer may shake you up—but save your life. Of course, no one likes thinking of the surgeon's knife, or chemotherapy or radiation, yet losing your hair or your appetite is highly preferred to losing your life.
Going back to the issue of truth and God, how do you know what is truth or prejudice? How can you be sure? Do you take someone else's word for it or can you know for yourself? When Paul did a speaking tour of Greece, he came to a place identified today as Berea, and there he went into the synagogue and proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who lived, died and rose again.
And the Bereans quickly accepted what Paul said, right? Not exactly. Dr. Luke says that they received the message with great eagerness but examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was truth.
They had settled the issue, however, as to what is truth. They were fully persuaded that the Scriptures were true and that God had revealed Himself through them. Question: Do you have that assurance? You may answer, "Yes! No problem," but chances are, you are not quite sure. If so, this is just for you.
Many intelligent individuals today have never gone much beyond the cover of this grand book we call the Bible. They turned the lights off a long time ago, and ceased to think for themselves, accepting the mindset of teachers or professors, our culture, and our society. How do I know the Bible is true? There are rational answers which dispel any doubt that you may have ever had including the abundance of manuscript evidence that says the writings of Scripture have been preserved over the years, the unintended but powerful testimony of archaeology, the element of the supernatural which includes amazing prophesies given hundreds of years before their historical fulfillment, to say nothing of the personal connection with God which comes by testing the promises of this book, the Bible.
Ignorance is not comforting and faith is not blind. Turning on the lights may require some thinking, some investigation, asking some hard questions about your personal life and being willing to accept the truth which God will reveal to you. But through His Son, God gave a promise. Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Resource reading: John 8:31-47
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/move-from-ignorance-into-truth/
Friday, August 7, 2020
Who Decides What Is Right And What Is Wrong?
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
The writer, C.S. Lewis, points out that you've got to know what a straight line is before you know what a crooked one is. But the “straight lines” of morality, of what is right and wrong, are fuzzy in the minds of a lot of people. Where do we get our idea of what is right and what is wrong and can something be “right for you, but wrong for me?”
If you turn to psychology and neuroscience research you will find an explanation like this: “Morality was selected by evolution in our human ancestors in order to promote cooperation and smooth social interactions.”[1] But when we look at our world, we see anything but cooperation and smooth social interactions taking place, according to some sort of evolutionary morality. What we see is more like what the prophet Jeremiah saw nearly 2600 years ago when he said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT)
A religious person might say that a basic understanding of right and wrong comes from Jewish and Christian roots, which have been the foundation of many societies. But for the follower of Jesus Christ, in simple terms, it has been the Bible, the very Word of God, which provides an understanding of right and wrong. This book provides clarity on issues such why it is right for me to love my spouse, but wrong for me to love another’s. It is right for me to take the grain that is grown in my field; wrong for me to take what is grown in my neighbor's. It is right for me to discipline my children; wrong to discipline yours.
Some of these issues were defined in a set of moral guidelines in the Old Testament known as the Ten Commandments. Other guidelines for living came with the teaching of the prophets and then in Jesus' teaching. He said things such as, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," (Luke 6:31) instead of the rule of the street, which is: "Do unto others before they do the same to you!"
Today, however, we've obscured the line between right and wrong. When moral right and wrong is a subjective matter, nothing is really right or wrong. And when you abandon what God says about right and wrong, chaos and, ultimately, anarchy results. Was C. S. Lewis right in saying that you've got to know what a straight line is before you know what is crooked? If he was on target (and history demonstrates that he was), then our failure to know the difference today results in the chaos that touches us at every level of life: in government, in education, in our schools, and in our homes and families.
We can lay a lot of blame for the world that we see around us. We blame educational systems for their failures. We can point to self-serving, corrupt leadership. We can definitely point to the fundamental failure of the family unit, a place where parents teach right and wrong to the next generation.
Here is the good news: God knew that we were going to constantly struggle with right and wrong, so He made it clear, and He made a way out of our personal struggle. He provided His Son who paid the price for our wrongs, once and for all, and gave us a never-changing source of wisdom that teaches us right. The Bible gives us guidelines for living that bring joy. Because His care for us goes far beyond simply morality. When we live in right relationship with God, we experience freedom, peace and we have an unmovable foundation of hope to which our lives in this tumultuous world can be anchored.
Resource reading: John 3:16-20
[1] Decety, Jean M., and Jason M. Powell. “Our Brains Are Wired for Morality: Evolution, Development, and Neuroscience.” Frontiers for Young Minds. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2016.00003.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/who-decides-what-is-right-and-what-is-wrong/
The writer, C.S. Lewis, points out that you've got to know what a straight line is before you know what a crooked one is. But the “straight lines” of morality, of what is right and wrong, are fuzzy in the minds of a lot of people. Where do we get our idea of what is right and what is wrong and can something be “right for you, but wrong for me?”
If you turn to psychology and neuroscience research you will find an explanation like this: “Morality was selected by evolution in our human ancestors in order to promote cooperation and smooth social interactions.”[1] But when we look at our world, we see anything but cooperation and smooth social interactions taking place, according to some sort of evolutionary morality. What we see is more like what the prophet Jeremiah saw nearly 2600 years ago when he said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT)
A religious person might say that a basic understanding of right and wrong comes from Jewish and Christian roots, which have been the foundation of many societies. But for the follower of Jesus Christ, in simple terms, it has been the Bible, the very Word of God, which provides an understanding of right and wrong. This book provides clarity on issues such why it is right for me to love my spouse, but wrong for me to love another’s. It is right for me to take the grain that is grown in my field; wrong for me to take what is grown in my neighbor's. It is right for me to discipline my children; wrong to discipline yours.
Some of these issues were defined in a set of moral guidelines in the Old Testament known as the Ten Commandments. Other guidelines for living came with the teaching of the prophets and then in Jesus' teaching. He said things such as, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," (Luke 6:31) instead of the rule of the street, which is: "Do unto others before they do the same to you!"
Today, however, we've obscured the line between right and wrong. When moral right and wrong is a subjective matter, nothing is really right or wrong. And when you abandon what God says about right and wrong, chaos and, ultimately, anarchy results. Was C. S. Lewis right in saying that you've got to know what a straight line is before you know what is crooked? If he was on target (and history demonstrates that he was), then our failure to know the difference today results in the chaos that touches us at every level of life: in government, in education, in our schools, and in our homes and families.
We can lay a lot of blame for the world that we see around us. We blame educational systems for their failures. We can point to self-serving, corrupt leadership. We can definitely point to the fundamental failure of the family unit, a place where parents teach right and wrong to the next generation.
Here is the good news: God knew that we were going to constantly struggle with right and wrong, so He made it clear, and He made a way out of our personal struggle. He provided His Son who paid the price for our wrongs, once and for all, and gave us a never-changing source of wisdom that teaches us right. The Bible gives us guidelines for living that bring joy. Because His care for us goes far beyond simply morality. When we live in right relationship with God, we experience freedom, peace and we have an unmovable foundation of hope to which our lives in this tumultuous world can be anchored.
Resource reading: John 3:16-20
[1] Decety, Jean M., and Jason M. Powell. “Our Brains Are Wired for Morality: Evolution, Development, and Neuroscience.” Frontiers for Young Minds. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2016.00003.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/who-decides-what-is-right-and-what-is-wrong/
Thursday, August 6, 2020
GMA and QTV for 2020
- GMA-7 Manila
- TV-5 Laoag
- TV-4 Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte*
- TV-48 Vigan
- TV-7 Abra
- TV-10 Benguet
- TV-11 La Union
- TV-10 Dagupan
- TV-48 Alaminos, Pangasinan
- TV-5 Dasol, Pangasinan*
- TV-5 Mt. Province
- TV-7 Tuguegarao
- TV-13 Aparri
- TV-5 Bayombong*
- TV-7 Batanes
- TV-48 Cauayan
- TV-21 Santiago
- TV-7 Ilagan, Isabela*
- TV-5 Baler
- TV-10 Olongapo
- TV-5 Iba, Zambales
- TV-5 Botolan*
- TV-__ Subic
- TV-10 Pampanga*
- TV-5 Tarlac
- TV-3 Bagac, Bataan*
- TV-46 Malolos
- TV-26 Obando
- TV-12 Batangas
- TV-10 Lipa, Batangas*
- TV-5 Lucena*
- TV-5 Marinduque*
- TV-13 Occidental Mindoro
- TV-30 Oriental Mindoro*
- TV-44 Jalajala, Rizal
- TV-12 Tagaytay*
- TV-7 Romblon
- TV-8 Coron, Palawan
- TV-12 Puerto Princesa, Palawan
- TV-6 Brooke's Point, Palawan
- TV-8 Daet
- TV-7/44 Naga
- TV-13 Iriga*
- TV-12/33 Legazpi
- TV-8 Tabaco, Albay*
- TV-8 Malilipot, Albay*
- TV-8 Camalig, Albay*
- TV-2 Sorsogon
- TV-13 Catanduanes
- TV-2 Kalibo
- TV-5 Roxas
- TV-6 Iloilo
- TV-13 Bacolod
- TV-5 Cadiz
- TV-30 Murcia, Negros Occidental
- TV-10 Sipalay
- TV-11 Antique*
- TV-5 Dumaguete
- TV-7/51 Cebu
- TV-11 Barili, Cebu*
- TV-11 Samboan, Cebu*
- TV-11 Bohol
- TV-10 Tacloban
- TV-12 Ormoc
- TV-10 Capoocan, Leyte*
- TV-5 Calbayog
- TV-8 Borongan
- TV-13 Catbalogan*
- TV-9 Catarman*
- TV-9/45 Zamboanga
- TV-4 Dipolog
- TV-3 Pagadian
- TV-21 Ipil
- TV-41 Mambajao
- TV-35 Cagayan de Oro
- TV-12 Bukidnon
- TV-8 Valencia*
- TV-11 Iligan
- TV-5 Ozamiz
- TV-5 Davao
- TV-8/32 General Santos
- TV-12 Kidapawan*
- TV-26 Butuan
- TV-3 Agusan del Sur*
- TV-7 Dinagat
- TV-10 Surigao
- TV-2 Tandag
- TV-12 Cotabato
- TV-12 Jolo
- TV-8 Bongao, Tawi-Tawi*
(*)Off-air.
(**)On-going expansion.
- QTV-11 Manila
- TV-__ Laoag
- TV-__ Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte
- TV-__ San Nicholas, Ilocos Norte
- TV-__ Vigan
- TV-__ Abra
- TV-__ Benguet
- TV-__ La Union
- TV-__ Dagupan
- TV-__ Alaminos, Pangasinan
- TV-__ Dasol, Pangasinan
- TV-__ Tayug, Pangasinan
- TV-__ Urdaneta, Pangasinan
- TV-__ Bontoc, Mt. Province
- TV-__ Sagada, Mountain Province
- TV-__ Tuguegarao
- TV-__ Aparri
- TV-__ Claveria
- TV-__ Batanes
- TV-__ Cauayan
- TV-__ Echuague
- TV-__ Santiago
- TV-__ Ilagan, Isabela
- TV-__ Bayombong
- TV-__ Quirino
- TV-__ Baler
- TV-__ Olongapo
- TV-__ Iba, Zambales
- TV-__ Botolan
- TV-__ Subic
- TV-__ Cabanatuan
- TV-__ Gapan
- TV-__ Llanera
- TV-__ Pampanga
- TV-__ Tarlac
- TV-__ Balanga
- TV-__ Bagac, Bataan
- TV-__ Angat
- TV-__ Malolos
- TV-__ Meycauayan
- TV-__ Obando
- TV-__ Plaridel, Bulacan
- TV-__ San Jose Del Monte
- TV-__ Batangas
- TV-__ Lipa, Batangas
- TV-__ Padre Garcia, Batangas
- TV-__ Lemery, Batangas
- TV-__ Lucena
- TV-__ Jalajala, Rizal
- TV-__ Cainta, Rizal
- TV-__ Rodriguez, Rizal
- TV-__ Morong, Rizal
- TV-__ San Mateo, Rizal
- TV-__ Antipolo
- TV-__ Dasmariñas
- TV-__ Tagaytay
- TV-__ Tanza
- TV-__ Biñan
- TV-__ Calamba
- TV-__ Los Baños
- TV-__ San Pablo
- TV-__ Marinduque
- TV-__ Occidental Mindoro
- TV-__ Calapan
- TV-__ Coron, Palawan
- TV-__ El Nido, Palawan
- TV-__ Roxas, Palawan
- TV-__ Puerto Princesa
- TV-__ Sofronio Española
- TV-__ Narra, Palawan
- TV-__ Brooke's Point, Palawan
- TV-__ Cuyo, Palawan
- TV-__ Balabac, Palawan
- TV-__ Romblon
- TV-__ Daet
- TV-__ Naga
- TV-__ Iriga
- TV-__ Goa
- TV-__ Legazpi
- TV-__ Tabaco, Albay
- TV-__ Malilipot, Albay
- TV-__ Camalig, Albay
- TV-__ Sorsogon
- TV-__ Caramoran, Catanduanes
- TV-__ Panganiban, Catanduanes
- TV-__ San Miguel, Catanduanes
- TV-__ Virac, Catanduanes
- TV-__ Kalibo
- TV-__ Malay, Aklan
- TV-__ San Jose, Antique
- TV-__ Culasi, Antique
- TV-__ Roxas
- TV-__ Iloilo
- TV-__ Miagao, Iloilo
- TV-__ Guimaras
- TV-__ Bacolod
- TV-__ Bais
- TV-__ Cadiz
- TV-__ Binalbagan, Negros Occidental
- TV-__ Kabankalan, Negros Occidental
- TV-__ Murcia, Negros Occidental
- TV-__ San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
- TV-__ Victorias
- TV-__ Sipalay
- TV-__ Dumaguete
- TV-__ Guihulngan
- TV-__ Tanjay
- TV-__ Cebu
- TV-__ Bogo
- TV-__ Barili, Cebu
- TV-__ Samboan, Cebu
- TV-__ Toledo, Cebu
- TV-__ Bohol
- TV-__ Naval, Biliran
- TV-__ Tacloban
- TV-__ Ormoc
- TV-__ Capoocan, Leyte
- TV-__ Isabel, Leyte
- TV-__ Calbayog
- TV-__ Basey, Samar
- TV-__ Borongan
- TV-__ Catbalogan
- TV-__ Catarman
- TV-__ Catubig
- TV-__ Zamboanga
- TV-__ Dipolog
- TV-__ Dapitan
- TV-__ Pagadian
- TV-__ Ipil
- TV-__ Mambajao
- TV-__ Oroquieta
- TV-__ Ozamiz
- TV-__ Cagayan de Oro
- TV-__ Gingoog
- TV-__ Bukidnon
- TV-__ Maramag
- TV-__ Valencia
- TV-__ Iligan
- TV-__ Ozamiz
- TV-__ Davao
- TV-__ Digos
- TV-__ Baganga
- TV-__ Mati
- TV-__ Nabuturan
- TV-__ Panabo
- TV-__ Tagum
- TV-__ General Santos
- TV-__ Kidapawan
- TV-__ Polomolok
- TV-__ Surallah
- TV-__ Alabel
- TV-__ Tacurong
- TV-__ Lebak
- TV-__ Surallah
- TV-__ Butuan
- TV-__ Prosperidad
- TV-__ San Francisco
- TV-__ Dinagat Island
- TV-__ Surigao
- TV-__ Tandag
- TV-__ Cotabato
- TV-__ Sultan Kudarat
- TV-__ Shariff Aguak
- TV-__ Marawi
- TV-__ Jolo
- TV-__ Bongao, Tawi-Tawi
(**)On-going expansion.
STATE OF THE PHILIPPINE TELEVISION ADDRESS 2020
[Requested by Zyle]
[AUTHOR’S NOTE: This post is intended for the effects of the events in this year to date.]
MY DEAR READERS OF TIMOW’S TURF:
This new decade is supposed to mark the optimism of waves of the future but instead, we enter waves of the pandemic.
Noong nagsimula ang taon at ang dekada nito, ang outlook natin ay naka-focus sa uncertainty sa pagkawala ng isang malaking media conglomerate nang dahil sa marupok na ego ng isang makapangyarihang tao.
Well, nangyari na or in one police report turned into a meme, “WALA NA, FINISH NA.”
Yumanig na at nagbago ang landscape ng pambansang telebisyon.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are now in the post-Mother Ignacia era. Kung may “new normal” dahil sa pandemya, ganun din sa nasabing industriya.
Pagkatapos ng ilang dekada ng digmaan ng mga numero sa South Triangle, natigil na ang putukan, este, ang pag-crunch ng data sa Kantar and Nielsen. Sa entertainment section ng mga pahayagan at online websites ay nakapahinga din sa wakas.
The era of a three-legged stool analogy — showing their strong suits in their particular genre — is now archaic.
The Obstructionist Institutions to Innovation
The National Telecommunications Commission, who ordered the shutdown of ABS-CBN under the undue influence from Solicitor General Jose Calida, has yet to learn the lessons not just from the flaws of what the Lopezes did but from the Tiengs’ 11 months prior regarding the exclusivity of their own channels. Hanggang ngayon, hindi pala gumawa ng IRR o final stance tungkol sa conditional access systems (CAS).
Little did they know, the one-two punch decision creates a dilemma of whether their target date of the analog switch-off in 2023 will proceed as planned or will it be pushed back. Pero, wag kalimutan na we are the last countries in Southeast Asia to do so.
For some, you would say: “Anong punto nito kung meron namang Netflix, iflix, iWant, etc?”
While many will call you for being a “privileged” person, I cannot blame you for getting the point.
That being said, I believe that from those 12 prolonged, premeditated hearings a nd their unsurprised “cooking show” outcome plus a post-vote plan of action by the “Gang of Four” to continue their humiliation by property takeover in a Zoom meeting that was caught on the record has realized that the 18th Congress is an impediment for broadcasting innovation.
Their collective analog mindset — and the deliberate singling out — has proven to us na hindi talaga tayo handa for dissemination about digital terrestrial television. Sa palagay natin, hindi ito dadalhin ang mga isyu na nito sa mga budget interpellations against the Department of Information and Communications Technology for 2021.
Hesitant VHF Survivors
Hindi madali ang sumusunod sa yapak ng Dos. Habang natuto tayo sa kanilang pinakamahusay na kasanayan, wag sanang kalimutan ang leksyon mula sa kanilang mga pagkakamali.
It’s not easy to step into Channel 2’s shoes; while we learn from the best practices, we should also learn the errors of their ways.
Marami ang pagkukulang sa mga dating kalaban pero matigas pa rin ang ulo, even if we remove the major factor of this pandemic.
Sa dating karibal sa Kamuning, sila na ang may korona at advertising money bilang dominant media conglomerate pero hanggang ngayon, ang diskarte ng pananalapi at operasyon nila ay konserbatibo. In other words, they’re just complacent or playing safe until they wait for Mother Ignacia to fall to its knees.
When teleserye filming resumes with safety measures, who would benefit under the current state of the industry? Hindi po ba sila.
Noong Hunyo 26, pormal nang nag-launch ang kanilang Affordabox habang itinigil na ang pagbenta ng TV Plus na nakapagbenta ng 9 million units sa limang taon. Ang expectation ng GMA New Media nila ay 600,000 units ang ibebenta — pero dahil sa positibong reviews at dahil sa bagong features, baka sa katapusan ng taon o dalawa, aabot ng 6 million — putting a zero right after the initial figure.
It would have been better if they had launched when they got their franchise renewed three years ago. Moreso, they should have gone up the ante by establishing a full-time sports division — separate but equal status as to their respected News and Public Affairs. Yun nga lang, hindi pwede maging full-time si Chino Trinidad kasi kailangan din siyang mag-operate at mag-manage sa Pilipinas HD. If I were Kenneth Duremdes, the commissioner of MPBL, I would rule out this network as the new home for the league.
They may have been turned 70 this year (59 if on TV) but still the working axiom remains: “Once they played safe, they’ll always play safe.”
On the other hand, to the rescue si Manny V. Pangilinan para sa mga displaced talents to TV5. Let’s face it, his network is a member of KBP just like Dos was.
It sounds promising, had not for the perennial internal organizational drawbacks. Unlike GMA and its sturdy yet so stubborn pillars, the turnover in their organization chart happens more often.
Their local entertainment division, effectively dissolved in 2016, will be restored pero as one die-hard fan of Channel 5 would advise that they should hire technical crew first (e.g. electronic communications engineers, 1st class radio telephone operators) before writers.
Noong Enero, they had the honor of covering the 24th Asian Television Awards for the first time in the country as host and when he got the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television, napuno ng puntirya sa comments section ng Facebook na wala namang kinalaman sa TV o kaya’y walang ginawa ng tama sa Singko.
Now that the chapter is sealed, the mindset sa pagiging non-revenue driver ang Channel 5 must come to an end, whether he likes it or not. Kamakailan lang po, sila na ang official broadcaster ng NBA at ONE Championship.
Yun nga lang, expect grumbling of certain factions of the existing solid Kapatid: those who wanted AniMEGA to return, those who wanted the PBA to resume, those who are tuning to Idol Raffy Tulfo and two fans who want The Amazing Race Philippines to have a third season.
I believe they will do better and learn from that after that scrounging criticisms. Boss MVP, the whole Philippine TV community is now rooting for you.
Last but not the least, aminado ni Krizette Laureta Chu (isa sa mga constructive supporters ng administrasyon) na mahusay ang mga writers ng Dos na pwedeng maisalba ang PTV mula sa pagiging propaganda machine ng Palasyo for almost half a century. Ito ang dapat na ginawa noong unang SONA niya para maging editorially independent at impartial. Pagkatapos ng apat na taon sa Kwatro, na-improve po ba ang overall image ng PTV o the same pa rin?
No wonder, Mr. Jules Guiang snapped out and expose the double standards on the government channel he was working on. He unravelled the truth on the broken system-cum-real company culture in Vasra that ran nearly half a century. Mr. Guiang, your honesty and bravery has inspired us.
If PTV deserved this kind of audacity, then don’t get me started on IBC 13.
Educational TV
Ang kasalukuyang pandemya’y apektado ang edukasyon. With the school year starting in our country by the near end of this month, blended learning will be the mode of public instruction, according to the Department of Education, so that no learners are left behind. However, the survey says otherwise: modular learning.
We all know the Knowledge Channel was two decades ahead of its time and they are compliant with the prescribed curriculum. However, some of you have sown to disdain for connecting the dots despite that you have watched them (hypocritically) at least once during your childhood days. Few of you were taught to despise because of your implanted brand hatred since birth.
Well, then, last June, I published about the prospects of IBC 13 into a full-time educational channel — from what PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar initially proposed — if the promised privatization of that channel fails to speed up.
The pace of my post was set for a year but we are rushing in a couple of weeks until classes begin. We are not certain if their endeavor will be successful considering the failing infrastructure and financial standing of the tail-end of the VHF spectrum.
Noong Hunyo, pagkatapos ng 28 taon, nagpaalam na ang El Shaddai sa Trese — it was really a religious programming institution.
While The Manila Times loves to jab at ABS even after the media conglomerate’s “death,” they left out the “real opposite” that is currently running at low-power and neglected, which most of us barely even notice. Since two weeks ago, Hataw Tabloid published an ongoing series by Ms. Rose Novenario calling the management in Capitol Hills (no longer in Old Balara) as “Mega web of corruption” and she is very doubtful if this opportunity will materialize and prosper.
But I digress, the people who benefit from this are those who have that channel on Cignal or your provincial cable. If you have a digital TV box, needless to say, you might not get IBC but instead, you’ll get Solar Learning, which is on the test broadcast.
Eyes on 2021 and Beyond
The frequencies of VHF Channel 2 and UHF 23 in the Metro might be ready for auction to “worthy applicants.”
Sabi ng isang business report ng the Philippine Daily Inquirer, mga 6 hanggang 12 buwan ang kailangan bago maghanap ng bagong may-ari ng frequency.
Dalawang buwan bago natigil ang ere ng Dos at Bente-Tres, nailantad ang expose mula sa isang AM radio commentator (hindi po galing DZMM) na “done deal” ang kapalaran sa Mother Ignacia at ibibigay kung sino sa mga matalik na kaibigan ng nakaupo sa Malacanang.
Kung ibibigay yan, lalo lang iikli ang waiting time like negotiating with a fixer. If that is true, then, well, so much for their “law is law” mantra.
When it’s done, will they have the same audience impact as the former tenant has performed for almost 34 years? The answer is “We do not know. We will all see.” Less than two years may be considered a short time but such amount of time is a pretty big deal to watch out for.
If ABS-CBN finally gets a franchise under the next presidential administration (at least, H2 2022), Mother Ignacia might have to wait until the new holder of the franchise of Channel 2 expires or fold up after suffering losses or voluntarily cede the frequency to its pre-2020 state. That’s a three-way road they will encounter. Picking up the pieces is another story.
As former ANC boss, Jing Magsaysay, best puts out: Content creation is a whole different ball game.
As of this moment, the remaining drama units of Dos are now pitching their products to the former rivals — financially-healthy man o “walking dead.” Whatever the fate might be, best of luck and tuloy po ang pagbabantay.
I am through, thank you. Have a good day.
https://timowsturf.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/state-of-the-philippine-television-address-2020/
[AUTHOR’S NOTE: This post is intended for the effects of the events in this year to date.]
MY DEAR READERS OF TIMOW’S TURF:
This new decade is supposed to mark the optimism of waves of the future but instead, we enter waves of the pandemic.
Noong nagsimula ang taon at ang dekada nito, ang outlook natin ay naka-focus sa uncertainty sa pagkawala ng isang malaking media conglomerate nang dahil sa marupok na ego ng isang makapangyarihang tao.
Well, nangyari na or in one police report turned into a meme, “WALA NA, FINISH NA.”
Yumanig na at nagbago ang landscape ng pambansang telebisyon.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are now in the post-Mother Ignacia era. Kung may “new normal” dahil sa pandemya, ganun din sa nasabing industriya.
Pagkatapos ng ilang dekada ng digmaan ng mga numero sa South Triangle, natigil na ang putukan, este, ang pag-crunch ng data sa Kantar and Nielsen. Sa entertainment section ng mga pahayagan at online websites ay nakapahinga din sa wakas.
The era of a three-legged stool analogy — showing their strong suits in their particular genre — is now archaic.
The Obstructionist Institutions to Innovation
The National Telecommunications Commission, who ordered the shutdown of ABS-CBN under the undue influence from Solicitor General Jose Calida, has yet to learn the lessons not just from the flaws of what the Lopezes did but from the Tiengs’ 11 months prior regarding the exclusivity of their own channels. Hanggang ngayon, hindi pala gumawa ng IRR o final stance tungkol sa conditional access systems (CAS).
Little did they know, the one-two punch decision creates a dilemma of whether their target date of the analog switch-off in 2023 will proceed as planned or will it be pushed back. Pero, wag kalimutan na we are the last countries in Southeast Asia to do so.
For some, you would say: “Anong punto nito kung meron namang Netflix, iflix, iWant, etc?”
While many will call you for being a “privileged” person, I cannot blame you for getting the point.
That being said, I believe that from those 12 prolonged, premeditated hearings a nd their unsurprised “cooking show” outcome plus a post-vote plan of action by the “Gang of Four” to continue their humiliation by property takeover in a Zoom meeting that was caught on the record has realized that the 18th Congress is an impediment for broadcasting innovation.
Their collective analog mindset — and the deliberate singling out — has proven to us na hindi talaga tayo handa for dissemination about digital terrestrial television. Sa palagay natin, hindi ito dadalhin ang mga isyu na nito sa mga budget interpellations against the Department of Information and Communications Technology for 2021.
Hesitant VHF Survivors
Hindi madali ang sumusunod sa yapak ng Dos. Habang natuto tayo sa kanilang pinakamahusay na kasanayan, wag sanang kalimutan ang leksyon mula sa kanilang mga pagkakamali.
It’s not easy to step into Channel 2’s shoes; while we learn from the best practices, we should also learn the errors of their ways.
Marami ang pagkukulang sa mga dating kalaban pero matigas pa rin ang ulo, even if we remove the major factor of this pandemic.
Sa dating karibal sa Kamuning, sila na ang may korona at advertising money bilang dominant media conglomerate pero hanggang ngayon, ang diskarte ng pananalapi at operasyon nila ay konserbatibo. In other words, they’re just complacent or playing safe until they wait for Mother Ignacia to fall to its knees.
When teleserye filming resumes with safety measures, who would benefit under the current state of the industry? Hindi po ba sila.
Noong Hunyo 26, pormal nang nag-launch ang kanilang Affordabox habang itinigil na ang pagbenta ng TV Plus na nakapagbenta ng 9 million units sa limang taon. Ang expectation ng GMA New Media nila ay 600,000 units ang ibebenta — pero dahil sa positibong reviews at dahil sa bagong features, baka sa katapusan ng taon o dalawa, aabot ng 6 million — putting a zero right after the initial figure.
It would have been better if they had launched when they got their franchise renewed three years ago. Moreso, they should have gone up the ante by establishing a full-time sports division — separate but equal status as to their respected News and Public Affairs. Yun nga lang, hindi pwede maging full-time si Chino Trinidad kasi kailangan din siyang mag-operate at mag-manage sa Pilipinas HD. If I were Kenneth Duremdes, the commissioner of MPBL, I would rule out this network as the new home for the league.
They may have been turned 70 this year (59 if on TV) but still the working axiom remains: “Once they played safe, they’ll always play safe.”
On the other hand, to the rescue si Manny V. Pangilinan para sa mga displaced talents to TV5. Let’s face it, his network is a member of KBP just like Dos was.
It sounds promising, had not for the perennial internal organizational drawbacks. Unlike GMA and its sturdy yet so stubborn pillars, the turnover in their organization chart happens more often.
Their local entertainment division, effectively dissolved in 2016, will be restored pero as one die-hard fan of Channel 5 would advise that they should hire technical crew first (e.g. electronic communications engineers, 1st class radio telephone operators) before writers.
Noong Enero, they had the honor of covering the 24th Asian Television Awards for the first time in the country as host and when he got the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television, napuno ng puntirya sa comments section ng Facebook na wala namang kinalaman sa TV o kaya’y walang ginawa ng tama sa Singko.
Now that the chapter is sealed, the mindset sa pagiging non-revenue driver ang Channel 5 must come to an end, whether he likes it or not. Kamakailan lang po, sila na ang official broadcaster ng NBA at ONE Championship.
Yun nga lang, expect grumbling of certain factions of the existing solid Kapatid: those who wanted AniMEGA to return, those who wanted the PBA to resume, those who are tuning to Idol Raffy Tulfo and two fans who want The Amazing Race Philippines to have a third season.
I believe they will do better and learn from that after that scrounging criticisms. Boss MVP, the whole Philippine TV community is now rooting for you.
Last but not the least, aminado ni Krizette Laureta Chu (isa sa mga constructive supporters ng administrasyon) na mahusay ang mga writers ng Dos na pwedeng maisalba ang PTV mula sa pagiging propaganda machine ng Palasyo for almost half a century. Ito ang dapat na ginawa noong unang SONA niya para maging editorially independent at impartial. Pagkatapos ng apat na taon sa Kwatro, na-improve po ba ang overall image ng PTV o the same pa rin?
No wonder, Mr. Jules Guiang snapped out and expose the double standards on the government channel he was working on. He unravelled the truth on the broken system-cum-real company culture in Vasra that ran nearly half a century. Mr. Guiang, your honesty and bravery has inspired us.
If PTV deserved this kind of audacity, then don’t get me started on IBC 13.
Educational TV
Ang kasalukuyang pandemya’y apektado ang edukasyon. With the school year starting in our country by the near end of this month, blended learning will be the mode of public instruction, according to the Department of Education, so that no learners are left behind. However, the survey says otherwise: modular learning.
We all know the Knowledge Channel was two decades ahead of its time and they are compliant with the prescribed curriculum. However, some of you have sown to disdain for connecting the dots despite that you have watched them (hypocritically) at least once during your childhood days. Few of you were taught to despise because of your implanted brand hatred since birth.
Well, then, last June, I published about the prospects of IBC 13 into a full-time educational channel — from what PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar initially proposed — if the promised privatization of that channel fails to speed up.
The pace of my post was set for a year but we are rushing in a couple of weeks until classes begin. We are not certain if their endeavor will be successful considering the failing infrastructure and financial standing of the tail-end of the VHF spectrum.
Noong Hunyo, pagkatapos ng 28 taon, nagpaalam na ang El Shaddai sa Trese — it was really a religious programming institution.
While The Manila Times loves to jab at ABS even after the media conglomerate’s “death,” they left out the “real opposite” that is currently running at low-power and neglected, which most of us barely even notice. Since two weeks ago, Hataw Tabloid published an ongoing series by Ms. Rose Novenario calling the management in Capitol Hills (no longer in Old Balara) as “Mega web of corruption” and she is very doubtful if this opportunity will materialize and prosper.
But I digress, the people who benefit from this are those who have that channel on Cignal or your provincial cable. If you have a digital TV box, needless to say, you might not get IBC but instead, you’ll get Solar Learning, which is on the test broadcast.
Eyes on 2021 and Beyond
The frequencies of VHF Channel 2 and UHF 23 in the Metro might be ready for auction to “worthy applicants.”
Sabi ng isang business report ng the Philippine Daily Inquirer, mga 6 hanggang 12 buwan ang kailangan bago maghanap ng bagong may-ari ng frequency.
Dalawang buwan bago natigil ang ere ng Dos at Bente-Tres, nailantad ang expose mula sa isang AM radio commentator (hindi po galing DZMM) na “done deal” ang kapalaran sa Mother Ignacia at ibibigay kung sino sa mga matalik na kaibigan ng nakaupo sa Malacanang.
Kung ibibigay yan, lalo lang iikli ang waiting time like negotiating with a fixer. If that is true, then, well, so much for their “law is law” mantra.
When it’s done, will they have the same audience impact as the former tenant has performed for almost 34 years? The answer is “We do not know. We will all see.” Less than two years may be considered a short time but such amount of time is a pretty big deal to watch out for.
If ABS-CBN finally gets a franchise under the next presidential administration (at least, H2 2022), Mother Ignacia might have to wait until the new holder of the franchise of Channel 2 expires or fold up after suffering losses or voluntarily cede the frequency to its pre-2020 state. That’s a three-way road they will encounter. Picking up the pieces is another story.
As former ANC boss, Jing Magsaysay, best puts out: Content creation is a whole different ball game.
As of this moment, the remaining drama units of Dos are now pitching their products to the former rivals — financially-healthy man o “walking dead.” Whatever the fate might be, best of luck and tuloy po ang pagbabantay.
I am through, thank you. Have a good day.
https://timowsturf.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/state-of-the-philippine-television-address-2020/
Jesus: Four Reasons To Believe
“What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” John 18:38
A sign carried by a demonstrating student on a university campus read, "JESUS, YES! CHRISTIANITY, NO!" Was the student rejecting the distorted picture of Christianity which is often projected--the image of someone who goes to church yet whose life has been unaffected by the message? Does this mean that the demonstrator related to Jesus as a revolutionary, as someone who stood against the crowd and certainly against the established government and authority of His day? Or does that mean He stood for the real, the authentic, the genuine Christ who spoke the truth and gave His life that those who believe in Him could have everlasting life?
I'm uncertain! But I do know one thing. Those who are sincere, who want the truth, will find it. Jesus gave seekers a promise when He said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17).
This, of course, raises another issue. Where do I find this certainty and can I be sure that the original message Jesus brought hasn't been tampered with by some well-meaning but deceived individual who wants to further his own agenda?
Four men--known as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John--were biographers of Jesus Christ and gave to us a record of His life. These are the principle sources or documents attesting to who Jesus is, what He did, and what He said. True, others wrote of Him, including Tacitus and Sutonius, Roman historians; Josephus, a Jew who threw his lot with the Romans; and a few others whose contributions are minimal.
For those who are sincere, there are four issues which must be considered.
Issue #1: The authenticity of the records including their reliability and purity. Scholars have spent their lives studying this issue, and the deeper they dig, the more convinced they are that the record is trustworthy. Some existing portions of the Gospel of John can be dated to 125 AD, no more than a generation removed from when he wrote his Gospel. More than 40 manuscripts of the Gospels exist that are 1000 years old or older, with the finest that include both the Old and New Testaments dating between 325 AD and 500 AD. Whether you like what Jesus said or dislike it, you can't make a major case out of the record being corrupted.
Issue #2: The moral character of the eyewitnesses. In any court of law, an issue of prime importance is the credibility of the witnesses. A judge wants to know, "Did they have any motive which would have led to distorting the truth?" Matthew was a tax collector. Mark was a young man, a close friend of Peter, in whose home the early church met. Luke, probably the only Gentile to write some of the New Testament, was a Syrian physician, and the companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Though not an eye-witness to everything he wrote about, he was part of the fabric of the early church and had no reason to distort the truth. John, the fourth biographer, was probably the youngest of the twelve, who were closest to Jesus. On the cross, Jesus asked him to take care of his mother--no flaws in his character.
Issue #3: Changed lives. These four biographers, with the possible exception of John, paid for their faiths in the currency of suffering and a martyr's death. Following the resurrection, everywhere they went they proclaimed what they had seen.
Issue #4: The testimony of archaeology, which includes documenting the fact that Pontius Pilate was a government official, that the House of Caiaphas existed, and that many of the places referred to in the Gospels existed, just as the writers told us.
Knowing the truth brings assurance that the record is trustworthy and that what Jesus Christ promised is valid. Faith is your response to the truth, and it's the part no one can do but yourself.
Resource reading: John 1:1-14
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/jesus-four-reasons-to-believe/
A sign carried by a demonstrating student on a university campus read, "JESUS, YES! CHRISTIANITY, NO!" Was the student rejecting the distorted picture of Christianity which is often projected--the image of someone who goes to church yet whose life has been unaffected by the message? Does this mean that the demonstrator related to Jesus as a revolutionary, as someone who stood against the crowd and certainly against the established government and authority of His day? Or does that mean He stood for the real, the authentic, the genuine Christ who spoke the truth and gave His life that those who believe in Him could have everlasting life?
I'm uncertain! But I do know one thing. Those who are sincere, who want the truth, will find it. Jesus gave seekers a promise when He said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17).
This, of course, raises another issue. Where do I find this certainty and can I be sure that the original message Jesus brought hasn't been tampered with by some well-meaning but deceived individual who wants to further his own agenda?
Four men--known as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John--were biographers of Jesus Christ and gave to us a record of His life. These are the principle sources or documents attesting to who Jesus is, what He did, and what He said. True, others wrote of Him, including Tacitus and Sutonius, Roman historians; Josephus, a Jew who threw his lot with the Romans; and a few others whose contributions are minimal.
For those who are sincere, there are four issues which must be considered.
Issue #1: The authenticity of the records including their reliability and purity. Scholars have spent their lives studying this issue, and the deeper they dig, the more convinced they are that the record is trustworthy. Some existing portions of the Gospel of John can be dated to 125 AD, no more than a generation removed from when he wrote his Gospel. More than 40 manuscripts of the Gospels exist that are 1000 years old or older, with the finest that include both the Old and New Testaments dating between 325 AD and 500 AD. Whether you like what Jesus said or dislike it, you can't make a major case out of the record being corrupted.
Issue #2: The moral character of the eyewitnesses. In any court of law, an issue of prime importance is the credibility of the witnesses. A judge wants to know, "Did they have any motive which would have led to distorting the truth?" Matthew was a tax collector. Mark was a young man, a close friend of Peter, in whose home the early church met. Luke, probably the only Gentile to write some of the New Testament, was a Syrian physician, and the companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Though not an eye-witness to everything he wrote about, he was part of the fabric of the early church and had no reason to distort the truth. John, the fourth biographer, was probably the youngest of the twelve, who were closest to Jesus. On the cross, Jesus asked him to take care of his mother--no flaws in his character.
Issue #3: Changed lives. These four biographers, with the possible exception of John, paid for their faiths in the currency of suffering and a martyr's death. Following the resurrection, everywhere they went they proclaimed what they had seen.
Issue #4: The testimony of archaeology, which includes documenting the fact that Pontius Pilate was a government official, that the House of Caiaphas existed, and that many of the places referred to in the Gospels existed, just as the writers told us.
Knowing the truth brings assurance that the record is trustworthy and that what Jesus Christ promised is valid. Faith is your response to the truth, and it's the part no one can do but yourself.
Resource reading: John 1:1-14
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/jesus-four-reasons-to-believe/
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
What’s The Difference Between Discipline And Punishment?
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (Hebrews 12:7).
How many children grew up with a real distaste for the word “discipline?” Like 2-year-old James, who, when his father announced that he would have to be disciplined for misbehaving chirped, “Discipline—that’s bad stuff!”
Question: Does the Bible differentiate between discipline and punishment? Yes, clearly it does. The New Testament word paideuo, usually translated “to discipline” in the New Testament, is much different from the word paio which means “to strike, hit, or wound.” The latter word was used of Jesus Christ when He was scourged by the Roman soldiers. The former word, which also was translated “to instruct, train, correct, or give guidance to,” was used of a father’s guidance of his son, or even an instructor’s correction of a student.
When a child misbehaves, should he be punished or disciplined? This is not just an argument over words, for there is a huge difference between the two. When a person commits a crime, people are incensed! They cry for justice. The focus is on the past—what happened. The general public isn’t so much concerned about what this person does in the future as they are in his paying the price of his wrongdoing.
But the issue of a child that needs correction is totally different. The whole focus is not what happened in the past, which was wrong, but what needs to be trained and developed in the child’s character for the future. The emotion generating punishment is anger, while the emotion prompting discipline is love. Parents, God doesn’t deal with our sin in anger. He gives us grace, in love, and arranges just the circumstances that we need in our life, to grow.
“If Jesus took all the punishment for you and me, He also took all of it for our children,” says Chip Ingram. “I don’t want to teach my kids that I need to pay them back for the bad things they’ve done. I want them to understand that the only way to make right what they did is to trust that when Jesus died on the cross, He paid for their sins. It makes no sense for me to fellowship with God on the basis of mercy and with my children on the basis of judgment. Since Jesus took the punishment, my role as a parent is not to punish them. My role is to provide appropriate consequences and instruction to help them see how their behavior displeases God and to teach them how to cooperate with God’s work in their lives. The Bible calls this discipline.”[1]
Punishment produces anger, guilt, shame and bitterness. It produces what is called a “prohibitive conscience,” which is a conscience that keeps a child from doing something wrong solely to avoid pain, having nothing to do with obedience or a love of what is right. Discipline, on the other hand, produces regulation of self, self-respect and ultimately, security. No successful person ever makes it to the top without learning the value and importance of knowing how to discipline himself or herself, something which needs to be learned early in life, and the earlier the better.
Discipline begins with parents who fully realize what God has done for them and who convey the importance of that to their kids. The Bible is clear that God disciplines those whom He loves, setting us on a forward-facing path. The godly parent who loves his child and disciplines him or her models this great truth. Yes, discipline takes much more creativity and thought than punishment does. It may require you to seek some counsel and training. God deliver us from punishment, but may He give parents enough love to learn to discipline.
Resource reading: Hebrews 12:1-15
[1] Ingram, Chip. “Punishment Versus Discipline.” Focus on the Family, August 8, 2019. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/punishment-versus-discipline/.
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Here’s What Really Determines The Quality Of Your Parenting
A husband picked up a call from his wife. “Michael got his first tooth and took his first step!” she excitedly told him. “That’s so great!” he answered. “No, there’s more,” continued the wife. “He also had his first fall and cut his lip, and when he did, he said his first bad word!”
Without thinking too hard about where Michael heard that first “bad word,” we may smile at that humor, but there is really nothing funny about the situation which a Guidelines’ listener described, who wrote the following: “I am experiencing a terrible, terrible temper. I can get very violent and I do curse and yell very loudly. What makes this behavior even worse is that I have a two-year-old who now says curse words, and a month-old baby who will learn them if I can’t stop this behavior.”
Out of the mouths of babes may come words that shock, words which innocent children neither understand nor mean. By our examples, we, parents, are the greatest teachers of our children. But it is both unfair and difficult for a parent to discipline a child for using words which he learned from the vocabulary of the parent.
Dorothy Law Nolte said it so clearly: “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.”[1]
We may condemn our schools for failing to keep kids safe or to provide a wholesome environment for learning. We may condemn the media for a steady diet of values we do not share. But the real failure which confronts children today is the failure of parents to model godly lives and provide examples for children to follow in living out a life in relationship with God.
Yes, there is the crush of the stress and frustration of life, especially for the single parent who is pressed by inadequate finances, weary and lonely from going it alone. But the real problem confronting our children today is our problem. It is us. When we parents live out what we say we believe, our kids are more secure. When we learn to discipline ourselves, our children require less discipline. When we learn how to make peace with the circumstances of our lives, our children learn to cope with the frustrations that surround them.
When Jesus talked about the issues of life, He always spoke of the heart. He stressed the fact that what we say and what we do are an extension of what we think in our hearts. In doing verbal combat with His detractors who wanted to observe the legalism of washing their hands when their hearts were impure, Jesus said, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart…. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean'” (Matthew 15:18-20).
If you, as a parent, are struggling with your own personal life, get help in coping with the pressures which confront you. Remember, it is the heart, not the mouth, that is the real issue.
Resource reading: Matthew 15:10-20
[1] Excerpted from, McCall, Catherine. “Children Learn What They Live.” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, December 30, 2011. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overcoming-child-abuse/201112/children-learn-what-they-live.
Monday, August 3, 2020
The 2020 Census of Population and Housing kicks off this September
 |
| Sarah Geronimo as the newest ambassador for the 2020 Census of Population and Housing program | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO |
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) was given a mandate through Executive Order No. 352 and Republic Act No. 10625 which will be kicked off on September of this year. All households and institutional populations will be enumerated to count all members and determine their respective demographics and socio-economic characteristics. The PSA will undertake the entire process of enumerating the population of the Philippines by going through collecting, compiling, evaluating, analyzing, publishing, and disseminating data, which will be achieved through the 2020 Census of Population and Housing or CPH.
This entire process consists of listing by batch some characteristics of each individuals and households at a certain time and area which will be conducted by the PSA representatives. Some data to be gathered are sex, age, marital status, education, religion, ethnicity, disability, occupation, and records of birth and death. Information on main sources of water, electricity, fuel resources, housing units, garbage disposal, toilet facility, ICT devices, vehicles, and internet access will also be collected.
The 2020 CPH aims to provide the government executives and policy makers the updated data on population and housing that could be used as bases for their social and economic development plans, policies, projects and programs. The results of the census will also be used to develop key strategies for population management. This will also be beneficial to businesses, industries and non-profit organizations, including research and academic institutions. The 2020 CPH to be undertaken in the country starting September 1, 2020 will be the 15th Census of Population and 7th Census of Housing.
 |
| More than 100,000 enumerators and Census supervisors will conduct the house-to-house data gathering all over our country | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO |
PSA assures the public that all responses to the 2020 CPH are confidential, as provided by Section 26 or Republic Act No. 10625 and Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. No data or tabulation may be produced to identify any household nor any individual. Please be informed that responding to CPH is mandatory, as stipulated in Section 25 of RA 10625or Philippine Statistical Act. Therefore, answering all the questions in this official census is obligatory.
More than 100,000 enumerators and Census supervisors will conduct the house-to-house data gathering all over our country. Census interview will last for only 15 to 30 minutes per household.
A lot of preparations are already being made for this undertaking to be launched on September. One of these is the training of more than 100,000 enumerators who will be following safety precautions against the Covid-19 pandemic, like the wearing of face-masks, physical distancing and adhering to the health protocols of the government.
 |
| The 2020 CPH will start this September 1, 2020 | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO |
Everyone is urged to participate in the 2020 Census of Population and Housing by providing truthful answers to the census questions. Our cooperation will be of great help to the development of our country today.
Kaya… “Sama Na, Census Na!”
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Saturday, August 1, 2020
PLDT "Backbone (Christine Bersola)"
To keep you in touch, PLDT goes over land with a country's widest reliable microwave network. PLDT goes under seas with the world's biggest submarine cable system, soon totaling 180,000 kilometers long to carry thousands of voice data and image transmissions. PLDT, we put the world within your reach.
Original video courtesy of Trevor Hone
© 1994 PLDT, Inc.
ABS-CBN migrates to digital space
ABS-CBN Corp. is doubling down on digital content as it confronts a new era without a broadcast franchise.
The company announced on Friday the launch of Kapamilya Online Live, which made its debut on its widely followed social media presence on Facebook and YouTube.
Through Kapamilya Online Live, ABS-CBN will stream popular entertainment programs such as Ang Probinsyano, It’s Showtime and ASAP Natin ‘To.
It adds to the company’s other platforms such as the recently launched Kapamilya Channel, which is available on Skycable and other pay television outlets around the country.
“With Kapamilya Online Live, ABS-CBN is poised to make an impact on the media landscape again, similar to what it did in broadcasting,” ABS-CBN said in a statement on Friday.
ABS-CBN Entertainment has more than 50 million followers combined in Facebook and Youtube.
While there is no subscription fee, internet costs are not free and in some areas, more expensive.
Nevertheless, the new direction will help blunt the effects of the loss of its broadcast franchise—which allowed it to reach tens of millions of viewers and listeners around the country through free TV and radio broadcasts.
“By livestreaming our shows on our Facebook and YouTube accounts for free without any subscription fees, we hope to be able to reach more Filipinos and stay true to our promise to continue to serve Filipinos in whatever way we can,” ABS-CBN chief operating officer for broadcast Cory Vidanes said in the statement.
ABS-CBN was ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission to stop all TV and radio broadcasts last May 5, a day after its franchise expired and while bills for renewal languished in Congress for years.
The NTC last month further told the company to also stop its satellite TV service and digital TV operations, affecting millions of other viewers.
ABS-CBN relies on advertising on free-to-air TV for the bulk of its earnings. After lawmakers voted to deny ABS-CBN a new franchise, the company announced mass layoffs by Aug. 31 this year and the collapse of various divisions around the country.
It would keep GMA as the sole free-to-air TV network in the country.
Apart from entertainment, ABS-CBN News will continue to house news programs TV Patrol and The World Tonight on its Facebook page with 20 million followers and YouTube channel with over 9.8 million subscribers.
https://business.inquirer.net/304140/abs-cbn-migrates-to-digital-space
What Does God’s Sovereignty Mean To Me?
Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south. Zechariah 9:14
Two brothers are scuffling in a disagreement. Down on the floor they tumble, fists flailing. Soon enough, the older brother manages to end up on top of the younger brother, who wails, “You’re not the boss of me!” And, it’s true. Mom or Dad is the real boss. Hopefully we have long ago abandoned tussles with our siblings, but how often do we wrestle over the right of God to rule in our lives?
The word that we use to describe God’s rule, His authority over us, is sovereignty. When we say that God is sovereign, it means that He has absolute right over us, his children. What He wills is absolute. God’s sovereignty over us comes with important benefits. It means that we can know that it is He—not fate or chance—which rules the day and rules this world.
Let me point out four major benefits of God’s sovereignty:
First, it means that the responsibility for running the world—even my own personal life—has been lifted from my shoulders. That’s good news. It’s exactly what Paul was driving at when he wrote, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8;28). Notice the words: “we know”—not “we hope,” not “we think” or even “we believe.” Also notice the phrase, “God works….” The outcome isn’t dependent on my clever manipulation of the circumstances. I’m not the one who has to make it happen. I can trust the Father.
Benefit #2: A sense of wholeness and peace becomes my inheritance. I may not understand everything that God does. And certainly, I may not sense everything that God is doing, but I can rest in the confidence that because He is in control, I can turn off the light at night and say, “God, thank you for being with me today. Thank you for being with me now while I sleep.” You don’t need to keep one eye open because Psalm 121 assures us that God doesn’t slumber or sleep. The world is not spinning out of control, whatever you read or saw online today.
Benefit #3: Knowing that God is sovereign gives me a sense of security both spiritually and emotionally. Jesus told His disciples that they did not chose Him, but rather He chose them. So, what does that mean to you? If you are a follower of Christ, this means, based on what it says in the Bible book of Ephesians 1, that God chose you before the foundation of the world. You are no accident, no chance of fate, no accident of your parents. You are a unique person made in the image of God, and He chose you to be His son or daughter. You are a child of the king, and no one can ever rob you of that birthright.
Benefit #4: Knowing that God is sovereign gives me confidence when I pray. Because I am God’s child, I come boldly into the presence of the Father, I can talk plainly and directly with Him, understanding that He knows my frailties and weaknesses. He understands, and best of all, He sorts out the dumb things I ask for and gives me what I really need. He does this because of His great love for me as His child, a truth which I cannot understand. But for the rest of my life I can bask in the warmth of it. Take time today to read the Bible book of Romans chapter 8, especially the last half where Paul so beautifully tells that nothing can separate us from the love of this sovereign, loving God, neither now nor for all eternity.
Resource reading: Romans 8:31-39
Friday, July 31, 2020
The Answer To The Deepest Need Of Your Heart
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
Some men find it difficult to say, "I love you," but in Bert Salva's case, what was tough was getting Mary Shiminsky‑‑the object of his affection‑‑to really believe him. For almost four years Bert courted Mary but didn't get anywhere. Actually, what he got was a clear message, "Get lost, Buddy, I never want to see you again." To make the message more explicit, Mary changed her phone number, and moved in with her parents who live in an isolated area and left no forwarding address.
Bert, however, didn't go away. He really loved her and wanted her to know that. Trying to find out where she was, Bert could only get a few leads. He knew the general area where she was, but he didn't know just where she was. He thought and thought, and then he struck upon an idea.
At least he knew one way, one slim chance by which he might convey the simple message, "I love you." He bought paint and a long-handled roller. He knew the way she went to work, and though he wasn’t terribly confident, he knew he had to try. In the darkness of the night he climbed on a three‑story railroad trestle which spanned the highway near the place where Mary was living and painted the message. When she saw it, she knew who had painted it, but the irony of the story is that nobody else in the community knew.
Nobody had ever heard of Mary Shiminsky. But that desperate act—much like a quarterback’s “hail Mary” in the last three seconds of a football game--is what got her attention and eventually turned her heart. She got in touch with him, and a month later accepted his proposal of marriage. A year later twins arrived and blessed their home.
Four years later with the mystery still unsolved in the community, Mary wrote to the newspaper admitting she was Mary Shiminsky and told the newspaper staff what had happened. Sensing a good story, they responded and sent out a reporter. Husband Bert told him he didn't know if he could do it again--hanging three stories in space holding on to the railroad trestle with one hand and a paint brush with the other, but he was convinced it was worth it. The message “I love you, Mary Shiminsky” got through.
Do you ever marvel at the length to which someone like Bert will go to get a message across? Why is all of this so important? Psychiatrist William Glasser was convinced that only by giving and receiving love can one of your deep emotional needs be met. It is as necessary to normal human survival as is oxygen to the lungs and proper nutrition to your body. You, friend, also have that need deep in your heart.
The cold reality, however, is that every woman doesn’t have a Bert Salva who is willing to hang by one hand from a railroad trestle to get that message across. Some desperately wish that the one they married would and could say those three words which make the difference. But they never hear them. Somewhere that love withered and died.
Others live alone, often feeling separated and neglected. There is one, though, who does love you, and He went to an amazing amount of trouble to get the message across. “God so loved the world,” wrote John, that He sent His one and only son to our planet with the message of the Father who demonstrated that love.
The love of a husband or wife is important, but of far greater importance is the reality that God, whose love is constant and unfailing, will always love you. The Father’s love will help you come to grips with those nagging questions when you wonder if He really loves you. It’s a message that gives security and comfort in an insecure and loveless world.
Resource reading: 1 John 3:1-24
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
COMELEC defers to IATF on conduct of Palawan plebiscite
In a reply letter dated July 16 addressed to the civil society group Save Palawan Movement, the poll body said they are adopting the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to defer the plebiscite which was supposed to have been conducted on May 11 but was overtaken by the pandemic.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has decided to defer the holding of the plebiscite on the division of Palawan to a later date “when the COVID-19 situation in the province improves.”
In a reply letter dated July 16 addressed to the civil society group Save Palawan Movement, the poll body said they are adopting the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to defer the plebiscite which was supposed to have been conducted on May 11 but was overtaken by the pandemic.
COMELEC Acting Deputy Executive Director Helen Aguila-Flores said in the letter that they have adopted four recommendations of the IATF pertaining to the matter.
The stated in effect that it will let the IATF approve the scheduling of any electoral exercise.
The IATF has recommended that the COMELEC explore options to conduct a plebiscite with minimum exposure of the voting public to the possible spread of coronavirus.
It also required the poll body to provide additional resources to ensure proper health safety measures during the plebiscite, including seeing to it that there are additional polling precincts to avoid congestion.
The COMELEC shall first submit its plans to the IATF before a definite date for the plebiscite is decided.
“Presentation to the IATF shall be deferred until such time that the requests are met,” the COMELEC letter stated.
Cynthia Sumagaysay-Del Rosario, lead campaigner of the civil society group One Palawan and Save Palawan Movement, said Tuesday that the poll body’s response was prompted by their initiative to bring up the matter with the Malacanang Citizen’s Complaint Hotline.
“Huli namin na inihiling ay ang indefinite suspension ng plebisito dahil sa health crisis. Natanggap na pala ng COMELEC ang marami nating sulat at nagbaba sila ng mga recommendation. ‘Yong desisyon ng COMELEC ay depende sa IATF. Wala ring plebisito, effective March 25, 2020. Ang mga nababalita ay based siguro doon sa lumang resolution. Walang nilalabas na bagong order ang COMELEC,” Del Rosario said in an online press briefing.
She emphasized that holding of plebiscite requires mass gathering which is beyond the protocols imposed during the pandemic.
“Plebiscite kasi involves assemblies and rallies, ‘yong dalawang kampo at magi-ikot ‘yan magkakaroon ng mass gathering. Hindi rin makatwiran na ang budget ay mapupunta dito sa plebisito na hindi naman talagang kailangan,” Del Rosario said.
“Sana ‘wag muna ituloy, kaming mga katutubo ay nagkaisa na ‘wag muna dapat ito ituloy dahil maraming tao ang apektado lalo na doon sa presinto. Natatakot kaming mga elderly na baka makakuha pa doon ng virus,” Larry Orongan from the Tagbanua tribe said.
Fr. Roderick Caabay, One Palawan Movement member also said that plebiscite is not a pressing “concern” because there are more important issues that need more attention from government.
“Ang concern po ng mga tao ngayon ay gutom at trabaho hindi plebisito. Kung itutuloy ito ay hindi ito ang focus ng mga tao dahil mas inaasikaso nila kung paano magsurvive ngayong pandemic,” he said.
https://palawan-news.com/comelec-defers-to-iatf-on-conduct-of-palawan-plebiscite/
Walk All the Way Home With a Friend
Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:24 NIV
When Moses wrote the genealogies of our first fathers, he came to the sixth generation from Adam and recorded a curious and stunning entry. He says simply, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). So what happened? One old preacher explained it like this: as Enoch and God walked together, along towards evening they were a long way from home and God said, “Enoch, it’s closer to my home than yours. Why don’t you just go home with me?”
What a beautiful picture of coming to the end of life on Planet Earth and hearing the gentle voice of the Shepherd saying, “We’ve come through the valley together; why don’t you join me where I have a special place prepared for you?” That in reality is the New Testament picture that the Apostle Paul described in the Bible book of 2 Corinthians 5 saying, “we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
Notice that when Enoch went home with God he still walked with the same person; he only changed the geographic location. This, of course, brings us to the issue of whether or not heaven is a literal place or simply a figurative kind of imaginary one. Jesus answered that question once and for all. In the week before He was killed, Jesus met with the disciples and said, “I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself.” The word Jesus used was topos, a Greek word from which we get the word topography. It always referred to a specific location, one that was an actual measurable distance from the person who spoke of something.
It is also important to know that if you do not walk with God here on Earth, you won’t walk with Him on the other side, the heaven that Jesus went to prepare. John, one of Jesus’ disciples, said, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). Walking with God pictures a personal relationship that you have with Jesus—not a state of being religious, but a relationship of trust and intimacy. It is knowing and loving God. You would never want to even ride in cab with someone who is hostile towards you, to say nothing of going home to spend the night with that person.
A Christ-follower of many years was once visiting his doctor when the doctor commented about him being a very religious person. “No,” he corrected. “I’m not a religious person; I’m a Christian and I have a relationship with Jesus.” “Well,” said the doctor, “doesn’t that make you religious?” He explained that vast numbers of people are religious—Muslims, Buddhists, Animists, and many others–yet have no relationship with Jesus Christ whatsoever.
A relationship with Jesus Christ isn’t something like joining a club where you have dues and attend meetings. Enoch, who walked with God, gives us a picture of what the Christian life is all about. A walk implies a starting point where you meet a friend at the beginning of the trail and then start off together. A real friend doesn’t turn back when the going gets tough. He’s there for you, and that’s exactly what Jesus Christ does. He promised, “Never will I leave you nor forsake you.”
Like Enoch, who walked with God, you will eventually come to the end of your earthly trail. If you have accepted God’s gift of forgiveness, He has forgiven you and removed the barrier of sin that kept you from a relationship with Him. Then you will hear Him say, “Come on home with me; I’ve got a place prepared just for you.”
Resource reading: I John 5:1-12
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Inquirer Lifestyle Series Fitness Fashion with Samsung: Guests
"Inquirer Lifestyle staged the rousing, filled-to-the-bleachers (despite the heavy rains and flooding) curtain-raiser to its Lifestyle Series of events with “Fitness.Fashion,” a catwalk team-up between some of the country’s top designers and best-selling activewear brands, at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila in Makati City."
"Co-presented with Samsung, it drew guests who cut across the fields of fashion, business and commerce, arts, media and entertainment."
x x x
Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the guest of honor and speaker in the occasion, gave her greetings and message to the crowd. In attendance, also were watching the show are some members of the cabinet; several senators led by Senate President Manny Villar; several congressmen led by House Speaker Prospero Nograles; and friends of El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde from the business, entertainment, media, legal, and religious sector.
Guest of Honor and Speaker
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Guests
Vice President Noli de Castro
Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
Senate President Manuel B. Villar, Jr.
House Speaker Prospero C. Nograles
Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr.
Caloocan City Mayor Recom R. Echiverri
Las Piñas City Mayor Vergel A. Aguilar
Makati City Mayor Jejomar C. Binay
Malabon City Mayor Canuto Senen A. Oreta
Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr.
Marikina City Mayor Maria Lourdes Carlos-Fernando
Muntinlupa City Mayor Aldrin L. San Pedro
Navotas City Mayor Tobias Reynald M. Tiangco
Parañaque City Mayor Florencio M. Bernabe, Jr.
Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao B. Trinidad
Pasig City Mayor Robert C. Eusebio
San Juan City Mayor Joseph Victor G. Ejercito
Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido R. Tinga
Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian
Pateros Mayor Jaime C. Medina
Former President Corazon C. Aquino
Former President Fidel V. Ramos
Former President Joseph E. Estrada
Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman
Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla
Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad
Commission on Higher Education Chairman Carlito S. Puno, DPA
Education Secretary Dr. Mona A. Valisno
Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr.
Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima
Foreign Affairs Secretary and Committee on Privatization Chairman Alberto G. Romulo
Health Secretary Dr. Esperanza G. Cabral
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo
Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez
Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque
National Defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro, Jr.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane, Jr.
Science and Technology Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Celia Capadocia Yangco
Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim
Trade and Industry Secretary Jesli A. Lapus
Transportation and Communications Secretary Anneli R. Lontoc
Philippine House Votes To Impeach Duterte / Embattled president will stand trial in Senate on corruption charges
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte moved a step closer to being ousted from office yesterday when the House of Representatives approved an impeachment trial to address the corruption charges against him.
In a rowdy session punctuated by chants urging the president to resign and the singing of a popular nationalist song, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano immediately endorsed the sending of impeachment charges to the Senate shortly after leading the 302-member legislature in a prayer.
Although no vote was needed because more than the required one-third of the House legislators had signed the impeachment document, Cayetano acted swiftly before pro-Duterte legislators could remove him as speaker -- something that happened later in the day.
"We did something that has never happened in this country before," Cayetano said during a break in the tumultuous session.
The move set the stage for an unprecedented trial before the country's 24-member Senate, where Duterte will face charges that include press freedom.
Duterte has denied the accusations, made against him last June. He has promised to defend himself in the trial.
The debacle is being closely watched by many in the Bay Area, which is home to more than a quarter million Filipinos and foreigners.
Past Philippine presidents have faced impeachment charges, but no one has ever stood trial while in office. Until July 24, the Senate had no impeachment rules because it has never had to hold a trial. But Senate President Vicente Sotto III ordered a rapid drafting of rules patterned after those used by the U.S. Senate during President Trump's impeachment trial.
"All of us are learning to live with democracy the same way the Americans are learning about their electoral process now more than ever," said Congressman Butz Aquino, referring to the controversy surrounding the U.S. presidential election.
QUICK ACTION
Duterte's foes in the legislature had to use parliamentary maneuvers to send the impeachment to the Senate.
Cayetano, had just finished leading the session in prayer when he suddenly endorsed the impeachment charges without so much as taking a roll call.
A pro-Duterte legislator tried to question the move but was ignored by Cayetano, who then banged his gavel to send the session into temporary recess.
Hundreds of predominantly anti-Duterte spectators erupted in cheers and sang "My Country," the popular Tagalog tune that became the anthem of the mid-1980s movement that forced the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos into exile.
IMPEACHMENT RIBBONS
Many of the spectators and Duterte opponents in the House wore peach-colored ribbons, a symbol of the impeachment campaign.
Congressman Rodolfo Tuazon, an Duterte supporter, angrily blasted Cayetano's tactic and the partisan crowd.
"He was so carried away that he was willing to violate rules of the House just to give himself media exposure," he said, referring to Cayetano's widely known plan to run for the presidency in 2022. "He has turned this session into a rally. This is not a rally!"
"They would have questioned any way we did it," Cayetano countered. "What makes them mad is that I did it the fast way. I caught them by surprise."
Even some pro-impeachment spectators were surprised. "We did not expect it to go as fast as this," said Father Robert Reyes, a popular activist Catholic priest. "I think conscientious legislators helped the process."
"A very major hurdle has passed," added Ging Deles, a community activist who unlike Duterte, advocates making peace with the country's rebel movements.
POWER OF THE PEOPLE
When the crisis touched off, many Filipinos expected the impeachment campaign to fail because Duterte appeared to have firm control of the Congress, Deles noted. But street demonstrations and persistent lobbying by civic groups have helped sway many legislators.
"For us, impeachment goes hand in hand with street action," Deles said.
The one-two punch she referred to was demonstrated today when a broad coalition of moderate and left-wing labor groups held a nationwide strike and street protests. In an unusual move that shows the growing discontent among the middle class, the major Philippine business organizations endorsed the strike.
While the impeachment trial is expected to begin in the next few days, it is not clear whether the anti-Duterte forces can muster two-thirds of the 24-member Senate to remove him from office.
"I'm not optimistic, but I think there's a chance," Duterte said. "You never know how the senators will decide on this matter."
SWIFT REPRISALS
Hours before the House forwarded the impeachment charges, Sotto, was voted out as Senate president and replaced by Ralph Recto.
After making his dramatic move, Cayetano was later ousted as House Speaker and replaced by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco.
Duterte still has wide popularity. A poll late last week showed that many Filipinos do not want him to be removed.
Yesterday that plans to reveal more damaging information that could seal Duterte's downfall.
Singson had accused Duterte of receiving millions in payoffs from an illegal but widely tolerated gambling operation called jueteng. He admitted his own role in the operation, but said Duterte was the "lord of all gambling lords."
"I'm willing to go to jail so long as the man who committed the bigger crimes will come with me," Singson told reporters at the Manila Yacht Club. "He will surely be an ex-president soon. Just wait."
Activist Deles was also optimistic, dismissing any notion that Duterte would survive.
"We will oust him, otherwise as a nation we die," she said. "He'll go as Marcos went."
-------
THE CHARGES AGAINST DUTERTE
-- Bribery: The Philippine president is accused of breaking a campaign promise to outlaw short-term employment contracts, warning the move risked alienating his diehard supporters.
-- Graft and corruption: Duterte is accused of receiving $2.6 million from tobacco taxes and under-declaring his personal net worth.
-- Betrayal of public trust: Duterte is accused of intervening in the investigation of a friend by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
-- Violation of the constitution: Duterte is accused of participating in a family-controlled real-estate business despite a prohibition on outside business interests while in office.
Duterte fails to detail recovery plan
By Norman P. Aquino, Special Reports Editor
Jenina P. Ibañez, Charmaine A. Tadalan, Beatrice M. Laforga
and Gillian M. Cortez, Reporters
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday asked lawmakers to pass stimulus measures to revive an economy on the brink of a recession caused by a coronavirus lockdown that is one of the world’s strictest and longest.
Analysts, business leaders and opposition lawmakers said he failed to say how exactly he plans to go about it.
The tough-talking Philippine leader devoted the first hour of his almost two-hour state of the nation address — his penultimate, before he steps down in two years — lauding state response to the pandemic and urging Congress to support his economic recovery plan.
“We must facilitate the country’s economic recovery,” Mr. Duterte said in a speech at the House of Representatives, where about 50 VIP politicians gathered to hear him speak. The rest of his audience was made up of Cabinet secretaries, senators and congressmen, and local government officials who listened in from various Zoom Cloud meetings.
He asked lawmakers to fast-track the second version of the bill giving him special powers in dealing with the pandemic, including realigning government funds.
The first law that has since expired let him realign about P275 billion to state programs against the coronavirus. The second measure seeks to let him allocate another P140 billion for various programs for the health emergency.
Mr. Duterte vowed not to rush the reopening of the economy, saying the good “would be outweighed by the bad it will generate.” “Haste makes waste, The recent surge of infections when you open little windows of resumption of business is proof of that.”
Mr. Duterte also asked Congress to hasten the approval of the bill seeking to immediately lower the corporate income tax to 25% from 30% while giving the government the flexibility to grant both fiscal and nonfiscal incentives.
He also sought the approval of the measure allowing banks to transfer bad loans and assets to asset management companies.
ADVERTISEMENT
The President promised to continue his administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, noting that these “are an effective tool to help spur high growth, attract investments, create jobs and achieve financial inclusion for all Filipinos.”
After an hour, he segued from his prepared speech and spent almost half an hour threatening to “kill” drug traffickers and asking lawmakers to revive the death penalty for heinous crimes including illegal drugs.
Mr. Duterte, who is down to his last two years in office and barred by law from seeking reelection, is under pressure to revive the economy to keep his political capital and ensure the victory of his chosen candidate in the 2022 presidential elections. At least three presidents before him had either been sued or jailed for corruption.
Mr. Duterte said he pleaded with Chinese President Xi Jinping five days ago to prioritize the Philippines for supply once it finds a vaccine for the coronavirus.
“If they have the vaccine, can they allow us to be one of the first or if it’s needed, if we have to buy it, that we be granted credit so that we can normalize as fast as possible?” he said, reiterating that face-to-face classes won’t happen until a vaccine is found.
The coronavirus has sickened more than 82,000 and killed almost 2,000 people in the Philippines, more than double from end-June and the second-highest number of infections in Southeast Asia even if Mr. Duterte had enforced one of the world’s earliest quarantines.
“Many of the points he emphasized were old talking points — drugs, criminality and corruption,” said Herman Joseph Kraft, an associate professor and chairman of the University of the Philippines’ Political Science department.
“There were a number of potentially inconsistent declarations. He threatened to close down telcos while at the same time emphasizing the need to switch to online modalities in government service and education,” he added.
Mr. Kraft also said the President had failed to detail a national strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. “There was no clear statement about this, just aspirations about increasing testing.”
The government is hard-pressed to come up with a road map for economic recovery as the Philippines faces its worst slump in three decades after the lockdown shut businesses and sapped consumption.
The economy shrank by 0.2% in the three months through March, the first slump after more than two decades of growth, while the unemployment rate hit an all-time high of 17.7% in April. Economic managers expect economic output to shrink by as much as 3.4% this year amid a worsening fiscal outlook.
MORE DETAILS
In his speech, the President also vowed to help micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises and proposed to institutionalize a government program to send people back to the provinces by refocusing economic and social welfare services to the countryside.
Business groups said they wanted to hear the details of stimulus measures, especially for small businesses.
“We wanted him to mention the proposed Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy Act,” Philexport President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. said by telephone after the President’s address, referring to a P1.3-trillion stimulus package that allots a budget for mass testing, wage subsidies and help for small companies.
“That’s a big thing for us and it’s important for the recovery and investment,” he said.
Business groups in their wish lists last week asked for economic stimulus measures and legislation that will open the country to foreign direct investment.
Mr. Ortiz-Luis also said he waited for Mr. Duterte to mention the national ID system and a plan to revamp an inter-agency task force on the coronavirus to include more inputs from economic managers and the business sector.
Chris Nelson, executive director at the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said he was looking forward to the budgets that would be allotted to specific sectors under the P140-billion fund of the so-called Bayanihan to Recover as One bill.
In one of his ad-libs, Mr. Duterte threatened to shut down telecommunication companies if they fail to improve their service by December.
“If you are not ready to improve, I might just as well close all of you,” he said, threatening to seize the companies in favor of the government.
He also renewed his attacks on ABS-CBN Corp., branding the Lopez family, who owns the media giant, as oligarchs, weeks after congressmen rejected the broadcast network’s plea for a new franchise.
A high-ranking official at dominant carrier PLDT, Inc. declined to comment on the President’s threat.
“We heed the call of the President to improve telco services,” rival Globe Telecom, Inc. said in an e-mailed statement. “Service performance and increased consumer demand for data are the key reasons why we have been investing billions of dollars to upgrade and improve our network,” it added.
Toward the close of his speech, Mr. Duterte reiterated his policy of diplomacy in dealing with the sea dispute with China.
“Unless we are prepared to go to war, I would suggest we treat this with diplomatic endeavors,” he said. “They are in possession of the property. So what can we do? We have to go to war and I cannot afford it.”.
Mr. Duterte’s speech had some good points, but these were drowned out when he attacked opposition Senator Franklin Drilon for defending the Lopezes and talking about his war on drugs, Maria Ela L. Atienza, a political science professor at UP, said in an e-mailed reply to questions.
“It would have been better if he stuck with the prepared speech and laid out a clearer road map to improve the country’s response to the pandemic,” she added.
Mr. Duterte’s address left a “big hole” in his administration’s overall response to the pandemic, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman said by telephone.
“People were expecting the President to announce a road map of his administration in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, adding that the budget under the Bayanihan 2 bill was not enough to address the crisis.
Opposition Senator Francis N. Pangilinan questioned the President’s push to revive the death penalty. “COVID, hunger and joblessness of millions are serious problems, yet the death penalty is what’s being pushed,” he said in a social media post.
Mr. Duterte locked down the main island of Luzon in mid-March, suspending work, classes and public transportation to contain the pandemic. People should stay home except to buy food and other basic goods, he said.
He extended the lockdown for the island twice and thrice for the capital region. The lockdown in Metro Manila has since been eased, with more businesses allowed to reopen with a skeletal workforce. Mass gatherings remained banned.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)